Centre rejects RTI plea for GSTN security nod details
NEW DELHI: The Centre has rejected an RTI plea seeking details of security clearance given to the GSTN, information-technology backbone of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), citing national security.
In response to a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Home Ministry said that the details sought on the GSTN were related to national security and cannot be given. Aggrieved over the denial of information, an appeal was filed.
The response given by the officer concerned is upheld and the appeal is disposed of, the Home Ministry said in response to the RTI appeal filed by a PTI correspondent.
The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), a notfor- profit private limited company, has 51 per cent equity of five private institutions -HDFC Bank Ltd (10 per cent), HDFC Ltd (10 per cent), ICICI Bank Ltd (10 per cent), NSE Strategic Investment Corporation Ltd (10 per cent) and LIC Housing Finance Limited (11 per cent).
The central government has 24.5 per cent equity in GSTN, whereas state governments, two Union territories and empowered committee of state finance ministers together hold another 24.5 per cent stake in it.
An organisation representing indirect tax employees has raised concerns over the management pattern of the GSTN with majority stake in private hands.
It had said since the GSTN is funded by the central and state governments, there is no justification in entrusting its management to private individuals with heavy salary and allowances. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has also opposed the majority stake for private entities in the GSTN and has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over it. The Home Ministry was asked to provide details of security clearance given to the GSTN through the RTI application.
"It is informed that you have sought information regarding security clearance which relates to national security clearance.
"Any information related to security purpose is exempted from disclosure as per provi- sions of Section 8 (1) (g) of the RTI Act, 2005. Hence, the information sought cannot be provided," the Ministry had said.
The Section bars information disclosure which "would endanger the life or physical safety of any person or identify the source of information or assistance given in confidence for law enforcement or security purposes".
As per the provisions of the transparency law, an information seeker can file the first appeal with the authorities concerned in case he is dissatisfied with the reply given by a Central Public Information Officer of a government department.
The second appeal against the order of First Appellate Authority is filed with the Central Information Commission (CIC).
Meanwhile, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday assured the Jammu and Kashmir government of all possible help in restructuring the GST rollout for the state while respecting its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution.
Jaitley promised that the Centre will do all it can in restructuring the GST implementation for Jammu and Kashmir keeping in mind the special status of the state, an official spokesman said here.
The meeting of the GST Council, headed by Jaitley and consisting of state finance ministers, kicked off here on Thursday.
As soon as the meeting got under way, Jaitley informed the gathering the demise of Union Environment Minister Anil Dave, the spokesman said. The session observed silence for two minutes in his remembrance. NEW DELHI: Considering the goal of more access of energy globally and speeding up economic development in rural, remote and island regions, India is operating US$ 2 billion line of credit by the MEA in Africa for undertaking solar projects in countries that have signed and ratified the International Solar Alliance (ISA) treaty.
To dedicate platform for cooperation, enhancement in bilateral relationships and in corporate relationship among the solar resource rich countries ISA was launched jointly by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and former President of France François Hollande on November 30, 2015 in the presence of Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nation (UN).
This time also both India, France and other countries of ISA proposes to launch programme on scaling of Solar Mini Grids possibly in near future. While speaking to media here at Shastri Bhawan on Thursday, the Interim Director General of ISA Upendra Tripathy said that, “Indian firms have submitted expression of interest already. They would put mini grids equivalent to 78MWS under the soft loan related schemes for Africa.” But the loan amount will be fixed and the interest will be usable, he also added.
Meanwhile India is also examining to allocate line of credit of US$1 billion for nonafrican ISA member countries under the same process.
There is also a proposal to build the Global Solar Fund of US $300 billion over ten years with contributions from the World Bank, ODA and also from Green Climate Fund to leverage it from the corporate sector especially, as a commercial project. The investment aims for financial assistance of ISA countries for next ten years. The risk guarantee premium may be 0.8% to 1%.
Moreover, ISA interim board proposed to form export groups in different sectors like, technology, policy making, education, finance especially to advise the empanelled countries on its programmes, activities in terms of standards, policies, technologies, power purchase agreements etc.
Amid a senior power official asserted that the ISA headquarters could be built at UAE but India is also pushing and all set to pass the tenders for the global infrastructure."it will be a collective decision," the official mentioned.